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That major Google outage meant some Nest users couldn’t unlock doors or use the AC

The perils of a cloud-connected smart home.

That major Google outage meant some Nest users couldn’t unlock doors or use the AC

[Photo: courtesy of Nest]

BY Michael Grothaus1 minute read

If you’re a Google user, you probably noticed some trouble last night when trying to access Google-owned services. Last night, Google reported several issues with its Cloud Platform, which made several Google sites slow or inoperable. Because of this, many of Google’s sites and services–including Gmail, G Suite, and YouTube–were slow or completely down for users in the U.S. and Europe.

However, the Google Cloud outage also affected third-party apps and services that use Google Cloud space for hosting. Affected third-party apps and services include Discord, Snapchat, and even Apple’s iCloud services.

But an especially annoying side effect of Google Cloud’s downtime was that Nest-branded smart home products for some users just failed to work. According to reports from Twitter, many people were unable to use their Nest thermostats, Nest smart locks, and Nest cameras during the downtime. This essentially meant that because of a cloud storage outage, people were prevented from getting inside their homes, using their AC, and monitoring their babies.

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For Google’s part, the company says a “network congestion issue in eastern USA” was causing the problems and that those issues have now been resolved as of 4 p.m. PT on Sunday. Still, the downtime of their Cloud Platform goes a long way to showing what can happen in an age when smart home technology requires always being connected to the cloud.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Grothaus is a novelist and author. He has written for Fast Company since 2013, where he's interviewed some of the tech industry’s most prominent leaders and writes about everything from Apple and artificial intelligence to the effects of technology on individuals and society. Michael’s current tech-focused areas of interest include AI, quantum computing, and the ways tech can improve the quality of life for the elderly and individuals with disabilities More


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